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James Burke
Arsonist |mo = Various bombs Arson using ethanol |victims = 1 killed 8+ attempted 1 victimless arson |status = Incarcerated |actor = Grinnell Morris |appearance = "Hero Worship" }} James Burke is a narcissistic, "wound collector"-type budding serial killer, serial bomber, arsonist, and one-time school bomber who appears in the Season Ten episode "Hero Worship". Background Burke was once a member of the Indianapolis school board and a prominent member of the community. However, he was also heavily narcissistic and saw himself as God. In 2014, he was found having a sexual relationship with a high-school student at an ethanol plant. The relationship was technically legal, as the student was eighteen at the time, and no charges were filed. However, Burke lost his job since he violated his contract. As a result, he snapped, seeing this event as a challenge against his purported authority, and swore revenge against Indianapolis. A month after being fired, he started a fire at the ethanol plant where his relationship was exposed. The following year, he set a bomb at Delancy Elementary School to spark panic among the school board. Burke did not intend to kill anyone during either incident. While the arson didn't claim any casualties, the school bombing claimed the life of a custodian working the graveyard shift. The latter incident also attracted the attention of Allen Archer, who decided to emulate it so he could save lives and become a hero. Hero Worship Burke is first seen in his hideout making a bomb while looking at the news about Allen's bombing of the coffee shop. He then looks at the map of the Indianapolis locations he plans to bomb. The following night, he goes after Allen by placing a bomb in the latter's car. The bomb is connected to the brake pedal and leaves Allen trapped when he steps inside the car, but the bomb is defused by Morgan. The following day, Burke pays a man to distract the BAU with a fake bomb inside a van while he plants a real bomb in an electrical room to blow up an award ceremony for Allen. JJ and Reid find Burke and they try to talk him down from setting off the bomb, with Reid telling him that he is a narcissist who craved power for his whole life and snapped when he lost it. At first, Burke doesn't listen, but Reid manages to get through to him by telling him that if he dies, he will never have the chance to take credit for the bombs that he built and by putting down the bomb, the BAU can tell everyone what Burke did and why he did it. This convinces Burke and he surrenders. He is last seen being led away by Reid. Modus Operandi Burke initially targeted locations that were connected to him before he lost his job. First, he set a fire at the ethanol plant where his sexual relationship with the student was discovered. Then, he planted a homemade bomb made of TNT at Delancy Elementary School and left it to detonate. He started the ethanol plant fire and planted the school bomb at the electrical rooms, presumably to make both incidents appear as accidents. When his plans to continue attacking Indianapolis locations were sidetracked by Allen Archer's copycat bomb, Burke switched his focus to Allen, his confidence increasing with it. During both attempts on Allen's life, he used homemade bombs made from nitroglycerin (which were more deadly than the TNT bomb used at the school), undoubtedly to ensure Archer would die from the explosions. He wired the first bomb to the parking brake of Allen's car, so it would be armed when he put his foot on it and then go off when he took his foot off the brake pedal. With the second bomb, he planned to set it off in the electrical room of Indianapolis City Hall. Profile The unsub is a male ego-driven, personal cause bomber, meaning he needs to be the center of attention. It is important that the attempting bombing of Allen Archer be kept confidential; if the unsub sees media headlines that do not belong to him, he will become enraged. He wants the authorities to pay attention to him, even if it means targeting Allen for disrupting his intended message ("Look at me, fear me, I am God"). From the high amount of sophistication demonstrated in the bombings, the unsub is in his 30s to 40s. While TNT is easy to produce at home, nitroglycerin is harder to handle, meaning he is patient and has an eye for detail. He is also controlled, methodical, highly intelligent, and has a desire to witness his handiwork. He could have been seen on traffic cams or eyewitness camera footage of the coffee shop bombing. He might target more public spaces like outdoor malls, farmer's markets, and Monument Circle; the fact that he targeted an elementary school and a popular coffee chain means he wants no one to feel safe. It is inevitable that he will strike again since a bomber with a God complex feels invulnerable. He should be appeased and communicated with, which is how he will be caught. It was later realized the unsub was only responsible for the school bombing while the bombing at the coffee shop was committed by Allen. When he realized the bomb at the school killed Morton Truby, it gave him the confidence and urge to kill again, even outdo himself. Known Victims **February 3: The attempted Archer truck bombing : ***Allen Archer *** Brenda Archer *** Hannah Ford ***Derek Morgan ***Spencer Reid **February 4: The attempted award ceremony bombing : ***Allen Archer ***Spencer Reid ***Jennifer Jareau ***Aaron Hotchner ***David Rossi ***Derek Morgan ***Kate Callahan ***Brenda Archer ***The unnamed mayor ***Numerous unnamed bystanders and police officers *Note: A map owned by Burke can be seen in his room, which shows prominent Indianapolis locations circled, indicating that he planned to target those locations in presumably victimless bombings. The locations were: **The Indianapolis city hall **Monument Circle **The Indiana World War Memorial Plaza **The Indianapolis chamber of commerce **The Indiana State Museum }} Notes *Burke is similar to Randy Slade ("Painless") - Both were narcissistic bombers and killers who viewed themselves as 'godly' and bombed a public building in a deadly attack. Appearances *Season Ten **"Hero Worship" Category:Criminal Minds Characters Category:Criminals Category:Season Ten Criminals Category:Serial Bombers Category:Arsonists Category:Attempted Mass Murderers Category:Wound Collectors Category:Incarcerated Criminals Category:Accidental Killers Category:Budding Serial Killers Category:Narcissists